English and American Literatures

English and American Literatures is the workbook for self-study and as a basis for introductory courses in English and American literary studies. Here you will find compact basic knowledge about: - the analysis of lyrical, narrative, and dramatic texts - methods and theories of literary studies - the preparation for presentations, term papers, and exams The volume is written in English and tailored to the conditions at universities in German-speaking countries. Numerous examples, guiding questions, checklists, and exercises provide helpful tools for the systematic reading and scholarly interpretation of literature from the first semester on.

Prof. Michael Meyer (em.) lehrte Anglistik an der Universität Koblenz.

Prefaces VII 1 Introduction 1 1.1 What is literature? 4 1.2 Literary criticism 10 1.3 Literary history 14 1.4 Bibliography 18 2 Poetry 21 2.1 What are poetic texts and what do we (ab)use them for? 22 2.2 Communication, speaker, situation and topic 26 2.3 Rhetorical form 30 2.4 Poetic form 45 2.4.1 Metre and rhythm 45 2.4.2 Phonological forms, stanzas and types of poems 50 2.5 Postmodern poetry 57 2.6 Guiding questions and exercises 58 2.7 Bibliography 62 3 Narrative 65 3.1 Oral and written narratives 66 3.2 Discourse 69 3.2.1 Narrative situations 70 3.2.2 Voice and focalisation 77 3.2.3 Time 87 3.3 Story 90 3.4 Fiction and metafiction 98 3.5 Guiding questions and exercises 102 3.6 Bibliography 108 4 Drama 113 4.1 Dramatic text and theatrical performance 114 4.2 Dramatic speech 118 4.3 Character and action 127 4.4 Space and time 135 4.5 Genres and metadrama 141 4.6 Guiding questions and exercises 146 4.7 Bibliography 153 5 Literary Theory 157 5.1 The Author 161 5.1.1 Psychoanalysis 163 5.2 Text and code 169 5.2.1 New Criticism 169 5.2.2 Formalism, structuralism and semiotics 171 5.2.3 Deconstructivism, post-structuralism and postmodernism 176 5.3 Context 181 5.3.1 Marxism and cultural materialism 181 5.3.2 New Historicism 187 5.3.3 Feminism and gender studies 190 5.3.4 Postcolonialism and multiculturalism 195 5.4 Reader 201 5.5 Bibliography 207 6 Research papers, presentations and examinations 213 6.1 Academic standards 214 6.2 Getting organised 214 6.3 Writing a term paper 215 6.3.1 Defining topic, purpose and approach 215 6.3.2 Research for and use of secondary material 220 6.3.3 Writing the first draft 228 6.3.4 Revising the paper 229 6.3.5 Documentation 232 6.4 Presentation 234 6.5 Oral and written examinations 238 6.6 Bibliography 240 7 Appendix 247 7.1 Analyses 248 7.2 Index 254 7.3 Acknowledgements 264